Mowing-machine.



No. 762,514. I VPATENTED JUNE .14, 1904.

R. G. .GOA'TES. MOWING MACHINE. 7

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

' PATENT OFFICE.

MOWlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,514, dated June 14,1904.

Application filed August 13, 1903. Serial No. 169,351. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAY G. GOATES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Im- 'provement inMowing-Machines, of which the the lowest point consistent with a largewidth of cut. This I accomplish by eliminating all of the parts possiblefrom the apparatus heretofore used in combination with the use of aninternal-combustion motor, the absence of any attempt to carry theoperator, and the combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan, Fig. 3 a rear elevation,Fig. 2 a right side and Fig. 4 a left side elevation, and Fig. 5 adetail, all-showing the application of my improvement to a rotary-cuttermowing-machine.

In the figures a main horizontal member 1 is mechanically secured to theside members 2 and 3. To the member 2 is secured a pin 9, carrying onemain supporting-wheel 8, and a pin 11, with an auxiliarysupporting-wheel 10. To the member 3 is secured the pin 5, carryinganother main supporting-wheel 4, and the pin 7, with another auxiliarysupporting-wheel 6. To the members 2 and 3 is attached the controllingmember 16, by which the entire machine is guided. For the sake ofclearness the member 16 is not shown in Fig. 3. A rotary cutter 13 ismounted with its axis above and parallel with the front edge of themember 1. The left end of the said cutter rests in a bearing in themember 2,

and the right end is attached to mechanism hereinafter described.

The outline thus far presented represents an elementary part of awell-known form of mowing-machine, and it is used herein for the purposeof making my invention clear.

Secured to the members 1 and 3 is a small internal-combustion motor 12,placed with the axis of its shaft coincident with the prolongation ofthe axis of the cutter 13 and mechanically secured thereto. Thisconnection may be made in any appropriate manner, or the two shafts maybe replaced by one continuous shaft. A method of connection adapted tothe small incased internal-combustion motor well known in the arts isshown in Fig. 5, in which 17 represents the end of the motor-shaftextending toward the cuttershaft, to which latter it is to be connected.The hollow shaft of the said cutter is represented by 18, and 19 is thehub of the righthand s ider of the several s )iders that are mounted onand secured to the shaft 18 for the purpose of carrying the severalcuttingblades- A female screw is cut in the end of the hollow shaft, andfarther within the hollow shaft is reamed out to a taper. The end of theshaft 17 is turned to a taper corresponding to that formed in the hollowshaft and a screw-thread cut to engage the thread in the shaft. Thescrew-threads will thus draw the shafts together, while the taper partswill secure the alinement and firmness of the connection. It will beevident that the threads should be so cut that the joint will tightenwith the work of the motor. The motor 12 is provided with a fuel-tank 11, a carburetor 15, and the connection betweenthe motor and thesemembersis to be of any of the usual constructions. A battery 20 and spark-coil21 are mounted below the fuel-tank and connected in the customary mannerwith the igniting apparatus of the motor. Any appropriate'means ofignition may be'used for the motor. The motor may be started by rotatingthe cutter by turning the cutter-blades by hand until the first ignitionoccurs, or a starting-crank of the common form may be applied either tothe right-hand end of the motor shaft or to the left-hand end of thecuttershaft. In these latter cases that part of the shaft that is to beused for the application of the starting crank is to be litted for suchapplication, the manner of so doing being well known in the arts to-day.

In operation the entire machine is pushed over the ground by means ofthe member 16, which latter is made of a length suitable for thepurpose. The supporting-wheels 4c, 8, 6, and 10 have no action exceptthat of the easy carriage of the machine. They turn freely on theiraxles in either direction. hen the machine reaches the grass to be mown,it is momentarily stopped and the motor started, thereby putting thecutter in rapid rotation. The machine is then moved against the grass tobe cut, the cutter acting on the grass in the usual manner. It will benoted that the animal power required to move the machine is not morethan that required to overcome the rolling friction of the machine inits movement over the earth. The rapid speed required by the cutter isobtained from the motor 12. The width of cut is limited by the power ofthe motor, and this may be made of such a power as to secure theoperation of the cutter for any particular width of cut. Since there isno resistance against the wheels caused by efforts to rotate the cutter,it is evident that a much heavier machine may be moved by the animalpower applied than could be moved by the same power when the wheels hadto also drive the cutter, since the power used in the latter service maybe applied in overcoming increased rolling friction. Since the cutterrotates regardless of the forward motion of the entire machine, heavygrass may be cut by decreasing the speed of the advance, whereas in theusual construction heavy grass is quite apt to clog and stop themachine, since decreasing the advance of the latter operates also todecrease the speed of the cutter. In cutting close to objects themachine may be advanced as slowly and carefully as may be desired andthe cutting performed in irregular places, since the lack of mechanicalconnection between the cutter and the wheels allows of more flexibilityin the movements of the machine as a whole.

I am aware that mowing-machines have been constructed in which thecutting mechanism was driven by other than animal power; also, that inthese constructions the apparatus has been both self-propelling andpropelled by animals. I am also aware that internalcombustion motorshave been adapted to the operation of mowing-machines. None of the aboveconstructions do I broadly claim.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mowing-machine, the combination of a cutter-bar, a rotary cuttercooperating with said cutter-bar, and an internal-combustion motorhaving its shaft axially in line with the shaft of said rotary cutterand operatively connected thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a mowing-machine the combination of a cutter-bar, side membersattached to said cutter-bar, supporting-wheels with their axes securedto said side members, a rearwardlyprojecting controlling member attachedto the structure formed by said side members and said cutter-bar, arotary cutter mounted on said structure and situated to cooperate withsaid cutter-bar, and an internal-combustion motor mounted on saidstructure with its shaft axially coincident with the shaft of saidrotary cutter, said shafts being operatively connected substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this s peciiication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RAY Gr. COATES.

Witnesses:

W. B. MERwIN, H. S. RoLLINs.

